Great ideas

2003 Idea Houses

Sunset

1. The living room’s key contemporary accent is the novel fireplace: It combines a steel I-beam mantel and a densely patterned, terrazzo-like surround. Like the nearby dining table, it’s made of concrete and is embedded with recycled fragments of yellow traffic lights.

2. The giant area rug in the family room ― glimpsed at the base of the oval coffee table ― is made of four area rugs in complementary colors that have been sewn together.

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3. The bathroom’s sleek stainless steel cabinets and wall niches, offset by a black marble countertop, show a modern variation on an organic theme. The floor and part of the shower are covered in river rocks encased in resin, which creates an unusual illusion of depth. A storage cabinet on casters allows flexibility; when not needed, it rolls under the counter.

4. The house includes three innovative landscaping ideas. The richly textured driveway is made of colored, precast, and tumbled interlocking concrete pavers. The dry-stacked concrete retaining wall uses an interlocking raised lip and needs no poured footing. The fence’s trim boards mask metal posts that will never rot.

COLOR PALETTE FOR THE COOL AND CONTEMPORARY HOUSE

Like their Arts and Crafts predecessors, Cohen and her team looked to nature for color inspiration. They used 21 Kelly-Moore paint colors, ranging from sandy neutral shades to fiery reds.